‘Don’t Be A Hurricane Tourist’ After Idalia Floods Manatee: Official

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Hurricane Idalia passed by Manatee County as a Category 2 storm before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3.

While the county “was spared much of what could have happened,” it brought wind, rain, flooding and power outages to the area, the city of Bradenton said in a news release.

As of Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., 7,380 Florida Power & Light customers reported power outages during the storm and most had power restored by about 8:20 a.m., a Facebook post from the city said.

Hours later, around 1:15 p.m., about 3,600 FPL customers in the county were without power, according to poweroutage.us.

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Bradenton’s water treatment plant was taken temporarily offline Wednesday afternoon because of flooding, the city wrote. City water customers are asked to conserve water until the tides go down by not washing dishes or doing laundry and conserving showers and flushing.

Multiple roads are flooded throughout the county and more storm surges are expected throughout the day. Drivers are asked to stay off the roads unless it’s necessary, especially to make way for first responders and city and county staff.

“Please don’t be a hurricane tourist,” Charlie Bishop, acting county administrator, said in a video shared to the county’s Facebook page.

Flooded roads in Bradenton include:

• Palma Sola Boulevard West
• Virginia Avenue from a half block south of Manatee Avenue down to 12th Avenue W.
• Riverview Dr W east from 26th Street
• Riverside Dr E: 2nd Street to 6th Street, 18th Street to 21st Street, 24th Street to Chauncey Avenue E
• Skate Park along Riverwalk
• 4th Street and 1st Avenue E.
• 2nd Avenue east from 17th Street E. to Brown Street E., including parts of 3rd Avenue E.

The Palma Sola Causeway and Manatee Bridge remain closed Wednesday. All city of Bradenton parks are also closed.

The Manatee Avenue and Cortez Road bridges connecting the county’s mainland to Anna Maria Island are closed, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said. The bridge at Riverview Boulevard and 59th Street W. is also closed.

“Deputies are reporting many flooded roads on the island and anticipate water will continue to rise until we reach high tide,” the agency said.

There is flooding in Terra Ceia and roadways are open for local traffic only, the agency said. Bishop Harbor Road is also closed.

An up-to-date list of road closure in the county can be found at mymanatee.org/roadclosures.

First responders were kept busy as Hurricane Idalia passed by Manatee County.

During the storm, officers, as well as the Bradenton Fire Department and FPL crews, responded to a sparking power line outside of Kentucky Motel. Those staying at the motel were briefly evacuated, police said.

Officers also rescued a distressed boater off Palma Sola Causeway.

A beach patrol lifeguard with the Manatee Public Safety Department used a paddleboard to access a boat in the waters, worried that the person on board might be in distress, police said. When they got to the boat, the person was no longer on board.

Police found the man further down the causeway and took him for an injury assessment, the department said. Manatee County Search & Rescue also assisted with the rescue.